Title: A Most Agreeable Murder
Author: Julia Seales
Publication: June 27, 2023
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 352
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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Feisty, passionate Beatrice Steele has never fit the definition of a true lady, according to the strict code of conduct that reigns in Swampshire, her small English township–she is terrible at needlework, has absolutely no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Nevertheless, she lives a perfectly agreeable life with her marriage-scheming mother, prankster father, and two younger sisters– beautiful Louisa and forgettable Mary. But she harbors a dark secret: She is obsessed with the true crime cases she reads about in the newspaper. If anyone in her etiquette-obsessed community found out, she’d be deemed a morbid creep and banished from respectable society forever.
For her family’s sake, she’s vowed to put her obsession behind her. Because eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth is set to attend the approaching autumnal ball, and the Steele family hopes that Louisa will steal his heart. If not, Martin Grub, their disgusting cousin, will inherit the family’s estate, and they will be ruined or, even worse, forced to move to France. So Beatrice must be on her best behavior . . . which is made difficult when a disgraced yet alluring detective inexplicably shows up to the ball.
Beatrice is just holding things together when Croaksworth drops dead in the middle of a minuet. As a storm rages outside, the evening descends into a frenzy of panic, fear, and betrayal as it becomes clear they are trapped with a killer. Contending with competitive card games, tricky tonics, and Swampshire’s infamous squelch holes, Beatrice must rise above decorum and decency to pursue justice and her own desires–before anyone else is murdered.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I loved the idea of this book. A mystery period piece? There are so many regular mysteries on the market that this seemed like something fresh. Unfortunately, my review is going to be short because I just could not get into it and as much as I tried I did not enjoy what I was reading.
The story started off okay and the writing seemed good, but the fantasy elements were what really threw me. I think they made the book less than what it could have been. It very well could have been that I am not a huge fan of fantasy novels, but I do enjoy them from time to time. After multiple attempts to push through, I made the decision to not finish this book. I feel like it has to hook me in the first 1/3 of the book and this one just didn’t do that for me.
I strongly encourage others to try it out and see what you think. Plenty of others liked this book per reviews I have seen, so I am sure you may as well.
